1. Field
This disclosure relates to communication systems. More particularly, this disclosure relates to determining signal insertion loss for antenna systems.
2. Background
A Mast Clamp Current Probe (MCCP) is a device operable to couple various communication systems to various ship structures, such as a ship's mast, in order to transform such structures into an operable antenna. Mast Clamp Current Probes have been successfully demonstrated to produce broadband receive antennas using available shipboard structures, such as stub masts. The receive MCCP is robust, low maintenance, and affordable.
However, the transmit MCCP is currently under development. A key design consideration for the transmit MCCP is the insertion loss, and a number of attempts have been made to quantize the loss using empirical and numerical techniques, with mixed success.
The empirical approach is to infer system efficiency by measuring the radiated field at a distance and comparing the test antenna to a standard. Such measurements are typically made in the open environment and must be performed very carefully to achieve a modicum of accuracy—and even then test results are often subject to various interpretations.
Numerical techniques involve the art of developing a model for the MCCP core and principal surroundings in sufficient detail to predict antenna performance. Numerical techniques have provided much needed insight into the design process, but ultimately the results rest on the accurate measurement of material characteristics. As the MCCP materials are typically anisotropic and frequency dependent, any measurement of these properties is an art form in itself. Thus, new approaches to determining MCCP insertion loss are desirable.